This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
It is well known that farmers engaged in the cultivation of grain crops make use of grain bins to store harvested grain in bulk for periods of time. It is desirable for the grain to be stored in such a manner so as to prevent it from spoiling. Various factors, including excessive moisture inside the grain bin, can contribute to grain spoilage. As such, it is desirable to monitor various parameters, including moisture content, inside the grain bin.
Various methods for monitoring parameters inside grain bins are known. For example, one method involves coupling a plurality of sensors to a plurality of cables and suspending the cables from the roof structure of a grain bin, thereby disposing the sensor cables within the grain stored inside. The sensors are capable of monitoring grain bin parameters at various height and perimeter locations throughout the grain bin. The sensors can then communicate the sensed data to an external controller or reading device.
While loading grain into a grain bin, storing grain inside a grain bin, and/or unloading grain from a grain bin, grain can exert substantial downward forces onto the sensor cables disposed therein, particularly on the sensors mounted to the cables. Such downward forces can damage, displace, and/or shear the sensors off of the cables. As such, costly repairs to the sensors and cables can be required and inaccurate data from damaged sensors can be transmitted to the external controller or reading device.